Tuesday, November 13, 2012

My adventure in the heart of America All done!!!

....Sort of late doing this but I will post pictures of my trip to Minnesota, Iowa and Houston!!

I arrived in Minneapolis Saturday afternoon, here is my rental car, Hotel is not far so off I go. Walmart ( a big discount store) found on the way so stopped to get a few things that I needed plus a few extras for friends!!

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wonder who these are for?

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Little RED American car, OH my!!! a Chevy!!

Hotel was a ....., lots of noise, and I had to go out for ........

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my first American breakfast!! but that's OK I am in Minnesota!!!!Vermont maple syrup? no!! Minnesota maple syrup!! OMG maple syrup is from Vermont not Minnesotahave to complain about this!!!!

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Sunday, after my super breakfast had time to stop at the biggest shopping center in the states, The Mall of America, I found all the great stuff for the kids, DREAM I didn't have time to go on the rides..... would have been better than shopping in the stores!!!

Bob is for that big kid I know!!!

This is all inside the Mall, a Sunday morning, lots of people buying tickets for the kids, the stores not open yet and....well, I did go in some of them to buy something special for "me"

OK it's time to go, a long ride to Carroll Iowa, but look at

this tree, it seems lost......

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Indian summer???? Maybe, it is about 26C outside, beautiful, sunny and not many clouds, love it!!

OFF INTO THE WILD BLUE YONDER

OK, how do you put gas in the car???!!!! How do you open the cover on the tank????!!!How do you make the gas pump work?????!!!!pay inside!! before !!!

AFTER TEN MINUTES THOSE PROBLEMS WERE SOLVED and

Sorry no pictures on the drive down, alone, no place to stop on the highway, even the rest area's were off the highway....

Lots of small ponds, wild geese, deer, a flock of white geese or swans, have no idea, but the scenery was beautiful. Minnesota is the state of 10,000 lakes, loads of wildlife around. Someone told me "God's country"

On the barns there were a few quilt panels, sorry no pictures of those, and that's life.....can't have everything....

six hours later with great music all the way, no country music either, I was worried about that at first, but........ What is the first thing I see as I drive into Carroll? (they had told me "corn fields" everywhere, but there were none to be seen, Harvest already over!!someone has been lying to me ) ......................................................

YES!!!!!

APQS

American Professional Quilting Systems

Can't get lost, in the morning I know exactly where I'm going!!

PLUS do you know these?????

I have seen them in pictures but never in REAL LIFE!!!!

WOW

Surprise!! Surprise!!

OK a little way down the road and........

Check in....

my Home away from Home!!

A little dip in the pool and hot tub.....

dinner at the sports bar next door and.....

bed time....

THIS HOTEL IS WONDERFUL

pop corn for the microwave

(that is in the room with a little fridge)

tea and coffee offered 24hrs

a waffle maker for fresh warm breakfast waffles!!!

how could you ask for more

Paradise in Carroll

I AM IN IOWA

APQS Training for four days, a new friend from South Africa, and lots and lots of new and exciting things to learn and do......Day one, Homemade chocolate cake, and of course Marc who is

enjoying every bite!!

YES::: We were planned.......

T THE HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE CAKE

THE MACHINES!!!!

My roommate Claire

Dawn on her phone.......

Three days of training with hands on, lunch with everyone, a little funny shopping going to the hardware store to get our tools.... and then going to

the auto body shop to finish our shopping!!!!!

a beautiful quilt shop in the middle of town with lots of nice fabric to dream about and

lots of yarn to make lots of scarves, mittens and sweaters..... the best was there........YES!!!!!

an APQS machine in the shop .... she demonstrates and quilts for others.....

Oh,can't forget shopping to find a costume for Halloween....going to be fun......

A big thank you to AMY

she's the best

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Des Monies

Wednesday afternoon we left for the showroom in

Des Monies, it's not really far from Carroll but going

to a big city, the capital of Iowa.....

Plug in the GPS, turn on the radio and off I go..

I arrive and where is the hotel???? Oh, my on the

other side of the road and really hidden, OK, go down the

road to turn around and what do I see.......Joann's... just have to stop and see what they have.

The costume shop, just around the bend, so I can do all in one outing. Well, it was kinda late for choice, so just picked up some spider earrings and some

lace gloves, that will be a start, I have a black skirt and guess

I will return to the fabric shop and see if there is some

fabric to dress up my skirt, I will be a witch, not using my imagination very much but it will be great.

Left with a big bag of black tulle with spiders on it, great to make a shoulder shawl, plus green and orange tulle to attach to my skirt, thread and needles to sew, plus a pair of scissors.

Off to the hotel to see if my roommate has arrived and then out

to dinner next door. Maybe a glass of wine before.... Yes!!

there is wine for us at the hotel, and it comes from Carroll,

they make wine there..... not bad for being American wine,

living in France it is hard to say that the wine from another

country is better than the wine here!!!!

No comments!!!!

Thursday class in the showroom with Dawn, guess we are

going to be a big group. Lots on new owners and we get to

play with the machines and have an example of what we should

do for our future customers. Going to be fun.

Oh my.....Beautiful a dream!!!!!

Have never seen so many APQS beauties in one place.....

WOW just WOW

I must be in Quilters Heaven

Machines.....Quilts.....Ribbons..... Great people.....

ENJOY!!!!

Quilting designs and ideas........to fill a lifetime

OH my Gosh, Wishing I was ten years younger,

Dream dream and dream.....

Feathers!!!!!!

Reality!!!! Class, lunch with goodies in there, Our names on the bags

with a little play thing, dessert and a great day of

sharing and meeting new friends.....

Of course answers to all of our questions

everyone is a little scared but that's normal

Our lives are about to change......

Before class was over and with regrets I have a seven hour road trip

to make to return to Minnesota. I have a private class with someone

special, I have all of her books.......but at home would like her to sign them ,,maybe, one day she will come to France and well you see

Dreams do come true.....

Bye Bye Iowa

Off to Two Harbors for class with........

TWO HARBORS MN

The trip up was beautiful, a little windy but blue skies all the way,

I saw lots of wild ducks and deer, lots and lots of deer

Guess they are running, hunting season must be close, on the news I heard that

a guy fell off of his deer stand and was taken to the hospital.....

I will make no other comments........

Beautiful Hotel, pool and spa, nice sign on the door

"please leave guns in your car"

well something like that

McDonald's just next door!!! and Pizza Hut on the other side of

the road, so....but there must be a nice resto in town,

off to the sports bar, says all the important people in town go there

so lets give it a try!!!!!

Good drinks, good food, and back to the hotel to rest up for tomorrow.

Friday morning up at dawn, really cold, looks like snow....

My class is just right across the road, lucky I can walk over but

it is freezing out, take the car......

Rudy and Lilly

love em,

Studio

Ribbons

More ribbons

More and more ribbons

WOW This gal is good!! real good!!!

Almost two days in the hands of this super quilter, going to be exceptional.....

Feathers, stencils, rulers, and of course McTavishing!!!!

Loved every moment of it, wish I could have stayed longer, but there will be a next time...

Me and Karen

OOPS

Karen and I

Classes are over and I will be off to do some sight seeing and

going to Duluth for shopping

I need another suitcase!!!!

OH, I have my hat!!! Karen gave me her witches hat, that will bring me good luck I'm sure...

Water water everywhere, MN is the 10;000 lakes state, it is beautiful but cold

It snowed this morning and hope it stops, I have to drive again to Minneapolis to

get the plane for Houston.......YES !!!! HOUSTON

Meanwhile back in IOWA there are a few trucks getting packed and almost ready to go

GO!!! Where????? YES!!!! HOUSTON!!!!

Some of the beautiful scenery on the way back. I tried to take a picture of the deer but

they didn't come out, can't see them, well, I did, and I am happy for that.....

the lake is huge and seems very inviting even though it is cold out, could take the

boat out and sail around for hours....

Bye Bye!!! Off to Houston......

With an extra suitcase off to the International Quilt Festival

Taxi at the arrival, downtown Houston

Small hotel just two blocks away

this is going to be fun.....

OOPS downtown, note saying please do not wonder in town alone.....

OK, there is a vending machine, tea, and television... wifi that doesn't work

evening should be interesting.....

OK think positive, Class in the morning with Sue Patten, go to bed early and

dream of all the new things that I will learn.....

Dreamy the picture......

Not APQS!!! but that's OK

Here is our helper

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One guy that is one to twenty seven

not bad!!!

Problems!!!

Everyone trying the new designs!!!

Sue telling us ................

My machine mate!!!!

Yes!!!! you can stand on chairs......

I look like SH....

Wow, two Sue's together.....

A little run through Market,

Here is Alex at the Aurifil stand

Would love all of those threads.....

Busy, busy

This was beautiful

The world is small, as I was walking around, I saw Gregory from

The Couserie Creative, he is just a half hour from me here in France,

then I saw Ida, the founder of OEQC in Holland, in fact we are at the

same little hotel.....

a little run through Checker Distributors, my favorite place to shop....

Meeting with APQS and Carrefour European de Patchwork....

The Bernina stand is huge, I did get a couple of bags with the Bernina 720....

OK back to the Hotel, pack my bags and changing Hotels, going with the group from

APQS, helping out during the show at the stand, going to be fun, scary, and hope

to learn quite a bit, and OH!!!!!!

SHOPPING for a Halloween costume for someone.....

This is going to be hard, Halloween is tomorrow and where, how, and Oh My!!!

Bags, taxi and off we go to my new home for four days......

Quite a ways out, but looks like a beautiful Hotel,

I will have a roommate from Italy......Hope she makes it,

with the storm ""Sandy" the flights are really messed up...

POOL

Forgot to tell you, went from 0 to 32C in one day, Houston it is very warm,

very very warm.....

Out to the Mall to find a costume, this is going to be fun,

Remember we are in Houston, so.....

The shops in the Mall are beautiful, very high class, very very high

class, where will I find something, What do I do, What do I buy,

Oh my, decisions, decisions, What will they think? What will they say?

I am ................. Well, guess it's Ok, we are the French APQS reps here to help

OH MY..........

OK, have to do it, so here it goes, went into a shop and found a beautiful something

for not much, you see I am in a place where the prices are very high and the

name brands are big, so I think I got away with a steal, now, the accessories to

go with what I bought, earrings, little head band, stocking, gloves, necklace,

make up, of course make up and eyelashes, long beautiful eyelashes....

Someone else is going to find a wig, and this should be great....

I hope........

Back to the hotel, very pleased with my choice, have to do my skirt, and get things ready

for tomorrow..... Halloween......

Oh, I did bring dinner back to the Hotel, stopped at the Cheesecake Factory so

Cheesecake for dinner, I haven't seen anyone around that I know, so sewing and

cheesecake on the board for tonight, maybe a dip in the pool, but ......

October 31......Halloween!!!!

My roommate is still flying around somewhere, hope she arrives....

Found the girls at breakfast so invited to go out shopping and lunch at

a great burger place,

a little last minute shopping for tonight, need a

few things to finish up the costumes for everyone.....

More eyelashes, lip stick, hair spray, and.....whatever we find....

Lucy is ready!!!!﻿

After a long wait, lots of make up, and saying Oh la la!!!!

Here we are the Frenchies.....

Going to be interesting,

BUT FUN!!!!!

You only live once, so live.....SMILE and ENJOY

No comments, I did the best.....

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Here we all are, great "opening" preview evening at the

Houston International Quilt Show

A few are missing, and YES!!! my roommate arrived after

a very long voyage!!!!

November 1......

UP and OUT

Breakfast, waffles, fruit salad, and tea... lots of tea

I have a class this morning with another great quilter, then

to help at the APQS stand... HELP!!! I need help, what do I do???

what do I say???, never did this before, it's not like the shows that I know.........

So many questions....SMILE and pray, things will be OK......

Class

Me and teacher!!!

Going to do this!!!﻿

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Day is over, off to the hotel and out for dinner

It's raining!!!

Another day, sun is out and beautiful.....

OH!!! the Carpet from the Hotel to the Center

Beautiful......

Houston!! from the bridge that goes to the Hotel

Day is over, out for pizza, dessert and a Happy Birthday !!!

Love birthdays!!! it is a special day when it is your birthday!!!

The specialty "BUTTER CAKE"

OOPS!!!! lost pictures........

Day three and four

Some of the Quilts, this is part of OEQC

This is the quilt of Ines, she is my German quilting friend!!

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can't read it but it sais "gone quilting"

IT'S OVER!!!

THANK YOU

WHAT A GREAT FAMILY

THE APQS FAMILY

Spread your wings and fly...................going home..............

Last American breakfast, omlette, sausage and toasted muffin!!!

French before lunch surprise Champagne and pop corn

sorry that I could not put all the pictures, I will try and make a smile box with all the quilts and
pictures that would not post..... hope that you enjoyed!!